1738 Pieter Coridon
A further example of the intensification of social control by the authorities in late 1730s Cape Town is shown here. Two free blacks and three slaves were found in the streets after 10 p.m., in contravention of the law.1 Although they claimed they had only been drinking a tot together after a fishing trip, they were whipped and sent home to work in chains. The case gives a brief glimpse into social relations between free blacks and slaves, part of Cape Town’s large underclass, as well as the dangers that late-night socialising involved for them.
Footnotes
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The fiscal cites article 82 of the general plakkaatplakkaatAn ordinance or decree of the Council of Policy read in public places and posted on buildings. The name is derived from the seal, a ‘placaat’, which was impressed on the document containing an ordinance. of 1727 (Kaapse Plakkaatboek II: 126-27), but this case is equally about contravening article 51 of the same plakkaatplakkaatAn ordinance or decree of the Council of Policy read in public places and posted on buildings. The name is derived from the seal, a ‘placaat’, which was impressed on the document containing an ordinance. (Kaapse Plakkaatboek II: 119), which prohibited ‘zamenrottinge’ or gatherings of slaves. See also 1736 Table Valley slaves, n. 2. ↩
CJ 20 Crimineele Regtsrolle des Casteels de Goede Hoop, 1738, ff. 1-3.
Thursday, 2 January 1738, present the honourable lord president Hendrik Swellengrebel and all the members, with the three burgher councillors, the honourables Hendrik Oostwalt Eksteen, Henning Joachim Prehn and Abraham Cloppenburg, joining in.1
The onderkoopmanonderkoopmanThe administrative or civil sector of the VOC was divided into six categories of rank, with the governor-general at the head of the first one. Most of the titles used for these ranks were derived from the merchant origins of the VOC, but in practice a rank did not equate with a person’s function. Onderkoopman, literally ‘vice or deputy merchant’ but usually translated as ‘junior merchant’, was a rank in the fourth category, senior to boekhouder (‘bookkeeper’) but below that of koopman (‘merchant’). Sieur Johannes Neder, acting as fiscal for the interim, in his official capacity as eijsscher,
contra:
The free blacks Pieter Coridon and Jan van Ceijlon, as also Jacob van Bengalen, bondsman of the widow Steven Viret, November van Ternaten and Roman van Batavia, slaves of the free black woman Mami,2 all five currently their honours’ prisoners and defendants in the case of plotting at night in their honours’ streets.
The eijsscher demands as in the document [i.e. the eijscheijschLiterally ‘claim’ or ‘demand.’ This is strictly speaking the eijsch ende conclusie without the final part about sentencing, but the term is often used as a shorthand for the whole document.]
The defendants say that after they had been fishing, they went at six o’clock that evening to a tavern to drink a tot there since they were wet, and that when they were leaving, they were taken prisoner.
The eijsscher rejects the answer of the defendants as insufficient and mendacious, and persists with his eijsch ende conclusie as rejoinder.
The defendants request mercy as rejoinder.
The honourable Council, practising justice in the name and on behalf of the high and mighty Lords States General of the free United Netherlands, sentences all five defendants to be thoroughly whipped at the stake and then to be sent home, with sentencing to the costs; the Council denying the further eijscheijschLiterally ‘claim’ or ‘demand.’ This is strictly speaking the eijsch ende conclusie without the final part about sentencing, but the term is often used as a shorthand for the whole document. of the Officer.
After the burgher councillors have left, at the request of the aforementioned Sieur Johannes Needer, thirty rolls of tobacco, which have been seized at various times, were confiscated as per custom.
In the Castle of Good Hope, the date as before.
In my presence, [signed] Js. de Grandpreez, secretary.
Footnotes
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The Council of Justice was similar in its make-up to the Council of Policy, except that in court cases (both criminal and civil) in which burghers or slaves were tried, two ‘burgher councillors’ joined the Council of Justice. These councillors were elected annually, and election conferred a great marker of status. In the 1780s the number of burgher councillors was increased to six (De Wet 1981: 180-83; Visagie 1969: 41-4). ↩
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On slave-ownership by free blacks, see 1785 Spadilje van Siam, n. 2. ↩
Donderdag, den 2e Januarij 1738, present den edelachtbare heer President, Hendrik Swellengrebel, en alle de leeden, assumptis de drie burgerraden, d’ Edele Hendrik Oostwalt Eksteen, Henning Joachim Prehn en Abraham Cloppenburg:
Den ondercoopman sieur Johannes Neder, als pro interim ’t Fiscaals ampt waarnemende, nomine officii, eijscher,
contra:
De vrijswarten Pieter Coridon en Jan van Ceijlon, mitsgaders Jacob van Bengalen, leijfeijgen van de weduwe Steven Viret, November van Ternaten en Roman van Batavia, slaven van de vrijswartin Mami, alle vijf thans ’s heeren gevangens en gedaagdens in cas van nagtcomplottering op ’s heeren weegen.
Den eijscher concludeert als bij geschrifte.
De gedaagdens seggen dat zijlieden gevischt hebbende, sig des avonds om ses uuren begeven hebben in eene schaggerij om aldaar, door dien nat waaren, een soopje te drinken, en dat zijlieden uijtgaande, gevangen sijn genomen geworden.
Den eijscher ’t gesegde der gedaagdens als insuffisant en leugenagtig verwerp, ende persisteert bij eijsch en conculsie [sic] voor replicq.
De gedaagdens versoeken om genade voor duplicq.
Den edelachtbaaren Raad, doende regt uijt naame ende van weegens de hooghmoogende heeren Staaten Generaal der vrije Vereenigde Nederlanden, condemneert alle vijf de gedaagdens: aan een paal dapper gelaerst en vervolgens t’ huijs gesonden te werden, met condemnatie in de costen, ontseggende den Raad den verderen eijsch van den Officier.
Naar dat de burgerraden weggegaan waaren sijn, op ’t versoek van bovengenoemde sieur Johannes Needer, naar usu geconfisqueert geworden, dertig rollen tabacq, op verscheijde tijden aangehaalt.
In ’t Casteel de Goede Hoop, datum als voren.
Mij present, [get.] Js. de Grandpreez, secretaris.
CJ 342 Criminele Process Stukken, 1738, ff. 1-2v.
Dictum ter rolle
Honourable Lord and Lords,
On Saturday morning, the 21st of the past month December, the eijsscher was informed by the officer on guard of the burgerwacht, the honourable Gijsb[ert] la Febre, that at eleven o’clock during the night of the 20th and 21st of the past month December, the corporal who was doing the rounds at the Cape had caught on their honours’ roads the prisoners and defendants in this, and, upon his [la Febre’s] order had taken them to prison, except for the first defendant and prisoner, who had escaped from the hands of the burgerwacht before the door of the prison, yet on the following day the same was once again brought into custody by the servants of justice. Which plotting and ganging together during the night on their honours’ roads certainly do not promise anything good, being all of the most evil consequences, because one cannot expect at such a time from that sort of people anything but villainy, and also since this is expressly forbidden by the general plakkaatplakkaatAn ordinance or decree of the Council of Policy read in public places and posted on buildings. The name is derived from the seal, a ‘placaat’, which was impressed on the document containing an ordinance., in the 82nd article, the contents of which read as a warning, namely:
With this it is expressly forbidden that any of the Company’s servants – whether they are artisans’ apprentices, soldiers or sailors – as also convicts and bondsmen – whether they are slaves of the honourable Company or those of the inhabitants – should henceforth dare to be found on their honours’ streets or roads after ten o’clock at night, on pain of the following punishment: that when the aforesaid servants of the noble Company are caught doing this, they are to be taken into arrest each time and will incur a fine of two months’ wages pro fisco and, on top of this, without even a court case, will be whipped; if the bondsmen and convicts, irrespective of whom they belong to, are found on the street after the said time, they will be apprehended instantly and, according to the circumstances, be punished arbitrarily; from which, however, are excluded those who are crossing the streets with their masters, mistresses or the same’s children, or with wagons, or those who came from the interior or are going in that direction. Further: each and every one who wants to send his slaves out at night to do something or the other must give them a light or small lantern as a sign so that they may be allowed to pass and, in order that this be even better observed and executed, the servants of justice, the burgerwacht and the ratelwacht,1 and each and every one of these inhabitants, are hereby called upon to detain and bring into arrest the aforementioned servants of the honourable Company, slaves and bandits if they find them on the street after the ringing of the bell.
Whereupon the eijsscher, to prevent such plotting, presumes to be allowed and must conclude, viz.:
Concluding that all five the prisoners and defendants, with certain conviction by your honours, may be sentenced: to be whipped by the cafferscaffersTerm for the slaves and bandieten used as assistants of the executioner and who also acted as the ‘police force’ of the town under the leadership of the geweldiger. Both the function and word derived from Batavia. and to be riveted in chains for the period of one year, and to be sent to their homes thus, with the costs; or to such an end as your honours would deem fitting.
Exhibit in court, 2 January 1738.
[signed] Js. Needer.
Footnotes
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The ratelwacht was the ‘watchmen’ and burgherwacht the ‘town militia’. There were two night watchmen who were under the command of the Burgher Council, and whose name stemmed from the rattles that they carried to sound alarms of fire or other dangers. The town burgerwacht, established in 1686, was made up of male burghers between the age of 16 and 60 who lived in and around the settlement. Each had to perform duty about once a month keeping order during the night, although this was often done through proxies, Botha 1962, vol. I: 161-63; Kaapse Plakkaatboek I: 220, 236-38 and 241-42, and Mentzel 1921: 66. For the burgerwacht in operation, see 1736 Table Valley slaves. ↩
Dictum ter rolle
Edelachtbare Heer en edele Heeren,
Den eijsser, op Saturdagmorgen, den 21e der voorleden maand December, kennis gekreegen hebbende van den wagthebbende officier der burgerij, de heer Gijs. la Febre, als dat sijn corporaal, die de ronde aan de Caab deet, tusschen den 20 en 21 der affgewekene maand December, des nagts de klokke 11 uur, op ’s heeren wegen g’attrapeerd had, de gevangens en gedaagdens in deesen, en dieselve, agtervolgens sijn order, in de tronk heeft gebragt, op de eerst gedaagden en gevangen na, die uijt de handen van den burgerwagt voor de deur van de tronk de vlugt nam, dog des anderen daags wierd denselve door de dinaeren [sic] der justitie wederom in hegtenis gebragt. Welke complottering en samenrotting des nagts op ’s heeren wegen ten eenemaal niet veel goed belooft en alles van seer quade gevolgen zijn, omdat door dat soort van volk op soo een tijd niets te verwagten is dan schelmereijen, en door dien sulx bij ’t generaal placcaat wel scherpelijk verboden word in ’t 82ste articul, welkers inhoud tot waarschouwinge luijd, namentlijk:
Werdende bij deese alle ’s Compagnies dienaeren, soo ambagtsgesellen, als zoldaaten en mattroosen, alsmeede de bandiete en lijffeijgenen, soo van ’s edele Compagnies dienaeren, als die der ingesetenen, wel scherpelijk verboden: dat geene derselver hun voortaan sullen hebben te verstouten om des nagts na de klokke tien uuren sig op ’s heeren straeten off wegen te laeten vinden, op peene dat de vorengeciteerde ’s edele Compagnies dienaeren daarop betrapt werdende, telkens in arrest genomen en in een boete van twee maanden gagie pro fisco sullen vervallen zijn, en daarenboven nog sonder de minste forme van proces gelaarst te werden, zullende de lijffeijgenen en bandieten, sonder aansien van wie deselve toebehooren, na opgemelde tijd op straat bevonden werdende, dadelijk g’apprehendeert en na bevinding van saaken arbitralijk gestraft werden, waarvan egter g’eximeert blijven de sodanige die met hunne lijffmeesters, vrouwen, off derselver kinderen, over straat gaan, off met wagens, ofte het een off ander van buijten opkoomen off na derwaarts gaan; voorts sal een iegelijk die sijn slaaven tot verrigting van ’t een ofte ander des nagts wil uijtsenden, een ligt en lantaarntje tot teeken moete meede geeven, opdat passeeren mogen, en opdat deese des te beeter g’observeert en nagekomen werd, soo werden de dienaeren van de justitie, burger- en ratelwagts, ende een ijgelijk dees ingesetenen gequalificeert, om de voorm. ’s edele Compagnies dienaaren, slaaven, en bandieten, opgemeld, na ’t luijden der klok op straat vindende, aan te houde en in arrest te brengen.
Waaromme den eijsser, tot weeringe van dusdanige complottereij, vermeijnt te mogen en moeten concludeeren, als:
Concludeert dat alle vijf de gevangens en gedaagdens, door diffinitive vonnisse van U Edel Achtbaerens, mogen werden gecondemneert: om door de caffers te werden gelaarst, en voor de tijd van een jaar in de ketting geklonken zijnde, en dusdanig na haarlieder huijsen gesonden te werden, met de kosten, ofte tot alsulken fine als ’t U Edel Achtbaarens sullen vinden te behooren.
Exhibitum in judicio, den 2e Januarij 1738.
[get.] Js. Needer.